Instructor: Margaret Repede
Community: Grade 3, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: February 2, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Seated belly breathing
- Pulse count
- Volcano Breath – think of someone who helps you be strong, as you breath in think about how they help you find your strength, as you breath out send them a thank you for helping you.
Activate
- Woodchopper – stand with feet a little wide than hip distance apart and knees slightly bent. Raise arms strongly overhead with your hands together, like you’re holding an ax. Imagine a piece of wood on the ground in front of you. On a count of three, swing your strong arms down to chop the wood. Make a “huh!” sound as you chop the wood.
- Mountain – find your mountain. Feet are as wide as your hips and shoulders, strongly pressing into the earth. Lift your belly, heart and head. Shoulders are back and down. Look straight ahead. Starting with your legs, hug your leg muscles to your bones, activating your strong legs. Then hug your core muscles to your spine, finding a nice strong core without holding your breath. Now, hug your arm muscles to the bones activating your strong arms. Notice your strength.
- Roots – From your mountain, rock forward so you can feel your weight in your toes and your heels lift slightly off the ground, while keeping your body activated. Now rock back so you feel your weight in your heels and your toes lift slightly off the ground. Continue rocking forward and back, making smaller and smaller movements, like a rocking chair slowing to stillness. Once your body has stopped moving, notice your strong, activated mountain. Relax your body. Activate your mountain again. This time rock side to side, noticing your weight shifting to the outside of your left foot, then your right foot. Continue rocking forward and back, making smaller and smaller movements, like a rocking chair slowing to stillness. Once your body has stopped moving, notice your strong, activated mountain. Relax your body.
- Crescent Moon – Activate your body in mountain. Raise your arms into upward mountain. While your legs are rooted strongly to the ground, stretch your body toward the windows. Return to upward mountain. Now stretch your body toward the cabinet side of the room. Return to your strong upward mountain, then relax.
- Modified Dancer – Activate your mountain. Root your left leg, on the window side of the room, into the ground. This will be your strong, supporting leg. Bend your right leg back, while keeping your body strong and still. Reach for your right foot with your right hand. Find a spot on the wall to focus on and activate your muscles to keep your body balanced. Now reach up with your left arm. Notice the strength in your left leg as it supports your body. Now let’s do the same thing on the opposite side. Root your left right, on the cabinet side of the room, into the ground. This will be your strong, supporting leg. Bend your left leg back, while keeping your body strong and still. Reach for your left foot with your left hand. Find a spot on the wall to focus on and activate your muscles to keep your body balanced. Now reach up with your right arm. Notice the strength in your right leg as it supports your body.
Return to your strong mountain, and then relax your body.
Calm
- Seated Twist – sit down in your chair, with your feet flat on the floor. Take your left hand across your right knee and place your right hand on the back of your chair. Slowly and carefully turn your belly, heart, and head toward the back of the classroom. As you inhale make your spine tall and strong, as you breathe out see if you can gently twist a little more. Return to center. Take your right hand across your left knee and place your left=t hand on the back of your chair. Slowly and carefully turn your belly, heart, and head toward the back of the classroom. As you inhale make your spine tall and strong, as you breathe out see if you can gently twist a little more.
- Child’s Pose – Fold forward, use your hands like a small pillow for your forehead and rest on your table.
- Progressive Relaxation – Bring your attention to your feet. Tense the muscles in your feet. Hold for a count of 4…1…2..3..4, the relax your feet. Repeat for legs, belly, back, arms, shoulders and face. Now with your whole body relaxed take three long slow breaths.